McCrory's shameless cronyism

Published: Sunday, September 15, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, September 13, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.

North Carolina has a long history of political cronyism, scandals and corruption under past Democratic leaders, from former Gov. Mike Easley, who pleaded guilty to campaign fraud, to three associates of former Gov. Bev Perdue indicted for obstructing justice (she was not implicated).

Some of these, such the sex and lies scandal of former Democratic presidential candidate and Sen. John Edwards, attracted national attention; others, such as mismanagement in the Department of Transportation, cost taxpayers million of dollars.

Now we have Republican Gov. Pat McCrory proving that back-scratching political cronyism is a bipartisan affair. McCrory has been appointing neophyte political staffers to highly paid positions in state government as teachers and other state employees go without raises or lose their jobs.

To be clear, the governor has been accused of no crimes, and his administration’s hiring practices may adhere to “every personnel law and policy,” as a spokeswomen claims. But his hiring of thinly qualified young political staffers to lucrative positions is politically tone-deaf and insensitive to state employees who have been losing jobs and living for years without raises.

Among the governor’s appointees are two former campaign aides, Matthew McKillip and Ricky Diaz, both 24, who landed senior-level jobs in January and, within weeks, big promotions. The Department of Health and Human Services, where McKillip and Diaz work, has been unable to provide any evidence that their positions were ever advertised to other potential applicants or that other candidates were considered, The Associated Press reported.

McKillip, the chief policy adviser to DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos, is paid an annual salary of $87,500. Diaz makes $85,000 a year as the communications director for the massive state agency, which has about 10,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $18 billion. This is the same agency that has been struggling to get food stamps to needy residents due to statewide problems with its new computer system called “NC FAST.”

Within three months of being hired, McKillip got an almost 35 percent raise while Diaz got a 37 percent boost. The raises came despite a March 8 directive the governor sent to state agencies to freeze salary increases, limit purchases and reduce travel to help cover shortfalls in state Medicaid funding.

McCrory insists McKillip and Diaz got their positions on merit, not politics. But the AP’s review of job descriptions for similar government positions posted online by the Office of State Personnel show McKillip and Diaz don’t meet the academic or experience requirements to qualify for even entry-level positions in the areas they now oversee. Their pay also exceeds the listed maximums for the most senior listed positions. But the governor can appoint them because their positions are among hundreds now exempted from the State Personnel Act.

The taxpayer-supported salaries for McKillip and Diaz are about three times the starting salary for North Carolina public school teachers. They are among at least seven other young GOP staffers who got high-paying state jobs. They include Heather Jeffreys, finance director for McCrory’s campaign, who now makes $58,879 in a communications job at the DOT; and Blannie Cheng Garrett, 28, appointed in January as McCrory’s deputy secretary of commerce and adviser on jobs and the economy, at a salary of $110,000 a year. The newest addition is Aaron Mullins, 38. A lobbyist and filmmaker who made an election-night video for McCrory, Mullins makes $68,000 a year as the new “brand and marketing manager” for DHHS.

When Perdue was governor, about 500 positions were exempt from the State Personnel Act. McCrory moved to exempt 500 more. Then he recently signed a new GOP-backed law giving him direct authority to hire and fire about 500 additional state employees, a total of 1,500.

With DHHS struggling due to its computer issues to deliver food stamps to needy residents, the governor is filling senior positions with people who lack experience in health policy or the educational background usually required. At a time when he has asked state agencies to freeze salary increases, he is handing out whopping raises to buddies from his campaign. It may be legal, but that doesn’t make it right.

<p>North Carolina has a long history of political cronyism, scandals and corruption under past Democratic leaders, from former Gov. Mike Easley, who pleaded guilty to campaign fraud, to three associates of former Gov. Bev Perdue indicted for obstructing justice (she was not implicated).</p><p>Some of these, such the sex and lies scandal of former Democratic presidential candidate and Sen. John Edwards, attracted national attention; others, such as mismanagement in the Department of Transportation, cost taxpayers million of dollars.</p><p>Now we have Republican Gov. Pat McCrory proving that back-scratching political cronyism is a bipartisan affair. McCrory has been appointing neophyte political staffers to highly paid positions in state government as teachers and other state employees go without raises or lose their jobs.</p><p>To be clear, the governor has been accused of no crimes, and his administration’s hiring practices may adhere to every personnel law and policy, as a spokeswomen claims. But his hiring of thinly qualified young political staffers to lucrative positions is politically tone-deaf and insensitive to state employees who have been losing jobs and living for years without raises.</p><p>Among the governor’s appointees are two former campaign aides, Matthew McKillip and Ricky Diaz, both 24, who landed senior-level jobs in January and, within weeks, big promotions. The Department of Health and Human Services, where McKillip and Diaz work, has been unable to provide any evidence that their positions were ever advertised to other potential applicants or that other candidates were considered, The Associated Press reported.</p><p>McKillip, the chief policy adviser to DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos, is paid an annual salary of $87,500. Diaz makes $85,000 a year as the communications director for the massive state agency, which has about 10,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $18 billion. This is the same agency that has been struggling to get food stamps to needy residents due to statewide problems with its new computer system called NC FAST.</p><p>Within three months of being hired, McKillip got an almost 35 percent raise while Diaz got a 37 percent boost. The raises came despite a March 8 directive the governor sent to state agencies to freeze salary increases, limit purchases and reduce travel to help cover shortfalls in state Medicaid funding.</p><p>McCrory insists McKillip and Diaz got their positions on merit, not politics. But the AP’s review of job descriptions for similar government positions posted online by the Office of State Personnel show McKillip and Diaz don’t meet the academic or experience requirements to qualify for even entry-level positions in the areas they now oversee. Their pay also exceeds the listed maximums for the most senior listed positions. But the governor can appoint them because their positions are among hundreds now exempted from the State Personnel Act.</p><p>The taxpayer-supported salaries for McKillip and Diaz are about three times the starting salary for North Carolina public school teachers. They are among at least seven other young GOP staffers who got high-paying state jobs. They include Heather Jeffreys, finance director for McCrory’s campaign, who now makes $58,879 in a communications job at the DOT; and Blannie Cheng Garrett, 28, appointed in January as McCrory’s deputy secretary of commerce and adviser on jobs and the economy, at a salary of $110,000 a year. The newest addition is Aaron Mullins, 38. A lobbyist and filmmaker who made an election-night video for McCrory, Mullins makes $68,000 a year as the new brand and marketing manager for DHHS.</p><p>When Perdue was governor, about 500 positions were exempt from the State Personnel Act. McCrory moved to exempt 500 more. Then he recently signed a new GOP-backed law giving him direct authority to hire and fire about 500 additional state employees, a total of 1,500.</p><p>With DHHS struggling due to its computer issues to deliver food stamps to needy residents, the governor is filling senior positions with people who lack experience in health policy or the educational background usually required. At a time when he has asked state agencies to freeze salary increases, he is handing out whopping raises to buddies from his campaign. It may be legal, but that doesn’t make it right.</p>